[West Coast, California Shoreline]
“It’s a waste of budget, a waste.”
A young American B-rank Hunter, publicly known as [Jetman], shook his head as he looked at the gathered crowd by the coast.
“Do we really need this much ceremony?”
“This isn’t even enough.”
Beside Jetman, his partner and so-called ‘sidekick,’ a young Hunter named [Polyvora], responded in a soft voice.
“The sister ship of a legendary battleship from World War II—one that was never even built—is crossing the Pacific and heading straight here. Of course, people should be celebrating with open arms.”
“Aren’t most of the people gathered here Korean? All I see is a sea of black hair.”
“Well, yeah, but so what? Are you planning to stop them from welcoming it? What, are you going to block it from entering the U.S. like a certain someone?”
“You think I’m that much of an idiot, my friend?”
Jetman grumbled and looked up at the sky.
“So, can the Master conquer that Tower floating up there?”
“No idea. But at the very least, they’ll probably clear all the S-rank Towers in the U.S. first before challenging that thing in the sky. At least, the ones looming over ‘America.’”
“Hah…”
Jetman pulled up a photo on his smartphone.
The image had been distributed to all Hunters by the U.S. government and showed not just America but the entire world.
A peculiar detail stood out—it was divided into seven distinct regions, each marked with a different color.
East Asia, including the Korean Peninsula, was covered in white, while America and the rest of the Western Hemisphere were enveloped in green.
And the sky—where the blue should have stretched endlessly—was now shimmering with a translucent green hue.
A massive Tower had appeared not only in East Asia but across the entire world.
People called it an SS-rank Tower, though some speculated it could be something even beyond that.
And so, while fear spread, excitement did as well.
Excitement for the one who had eradicated every S-rank Tower in their own country and was now racing toward America ahead of schedule—the owner of the ship crossing the Pacific.
“Hey, Poly… do you think the Master can pull it off?”
“If they can’t, it’ll be up to you. Think you can manage?”
“…That’s gonna be tough.”
Jetman let out a bitter smile and shook his head.
“All we can do is hope that this hero from the East can save not just America, but the entire world.”
Swooooosh—
From the horizon, five battleships steadily approached the shores of California.
“You know, the USS Iowa, the first of the Iowa-class battleships, is on display at the Los Angeles harbor.”
“…So, there’s a reason they’re coming this way? Led by those other battleships?”
“Exactly.”
Swoosh—
“Man…”
Even while being escorted by cutting-edge naval vessels, Illinois, leading the fleet, exuded an overwhelming presence—sturdier and sleeker than any other ship.
“Seeing something like that outside of a movie… yeah, it’s damn impressive.”
“Right?”
“They say the Master’s ability is summoning something like that, right?”
“Yeah.”
“…Damn shame.”
Jetman let out an exaggerated sigh of regret.
“If it were me, I’d have summoned New Jersey, Belfast, or Illustrious instead.”
“…What are you even talking about?”
“Just something I thought of.”
Jetman covered his face with one hand.
“Well, at least they’re not a hardcore ship nerd. Imagine if their favorite was Elaine. That would’ve been a disaster.”
* * *
[Later, Los Angeles Port]
“They really do look alike.”
The USS Iowa, permanently docked as a museum ship, now had a nearly identical battleship, Illinois, moored right beside it.
Click, click, click, click.
Crowds armed with camera lenses the size of cannons flooded the harbor, eager to capture the scene.
A decommissioned warship sitting next to a perfect modern recreation—naturally, people were stunned.
Surely, some among them must have been thinking. “I want to go aboard.”
After all, even when someone gets a new car, it’s common to hear, “Hey, give me a ride!”
Now, what if that “new car” was the long-lost, unfinished fifth ship of the Iowa class, a legend brought to life? For Americans, the urge to see it up close was irresistible.
‘If the situation were reversed, we’d be the same.’
If an American named Adam Peterson had suddenly awakened to Summoning powers and called forth a legendary ship—what if that ship were a Turtle Ship?
Some would be curious about its interior.
Some would analyze how its cannons could cripple an S-rank Hunter.
And some would just want to stand on it, simply because it’s a Turtle Ship.
That was the situation with Illinois right now.
And because of that, precautions were necessary.
“Commander, everything’s set. The core sectors are locked down, and if anyone tries to hack in, the system will shut them out immediately.”
“Good work, Drei.”
On the main screen of the Illinois bridge, Drei displayed a map of access zones.
The zones were categorized into green, yellow, and red—each indicating different levels of accessibility.
“Green areas are for authorized personnel. Yellow zones are spaces where U.S. support staff can enter. And the red zones…”
“Are strictly off-limits to anyone but us.”
“Right. Even for deliveries like furniture, they’ll only bring them as far as the yellow zones. Elaine will handle moving them after that.”
“…Drei, aren’t you going to help?”
Elaine, holding a mug of coffee, half-lidded eyes locked onto Drei.
“Are you subtly trying to make me seem like nothing but a manual laborer to Master?”
“I’m simply entrusting housekeeping duties to the Perfect Maid. You have a better eye for interior design than I do.”
“So that means you’re dumping all the furniture moving and appliance installation on me as well?”
“Would you rather I leave it to Commander, a mere human? Oh, wait, my bad—I’m an intellectual.”
“…And yet, the arm of a ‘mere human’ can still be crushed just by your grip, dear Android.”
“Well, wouldn’t it be more efficient for a magic-user to handle moving things instead of a single Android doing all the heavy lifting? Efficiency, my dear. Hehe.”
Drei took a sip of the steaming coffee in her hand and smirked.
“Or… would you rather just sit back and watch as U.S. officials trample into your cozy space with Master?”
“And what about you? Are you just going to sit still?”
“Of course not. Alright, I’ll help. But since we’re both doing this, we should agree on how to divide the areas, right?”
“That sounds fair. First…”
The two of them began discussing something important.
I knew better than to butt into conversations like that. It would only give me a headache.
Instead, I turned my thoughts to something else that was already making my head hurt.
Click.
I opened my smartphone’s gallery.
The photo displayed a massive sphere, positioned at the very heart of the red-restricted zone—the most heavily secured area of the Illinois.
“What if there’s a beautiful girl sleeping inside?”
Perched on my shoulder, Kiharu stretched out a paw with a teasing smirk.
“Do I look like the kind of guy who fills his ship with nothing but beautiful women?”
“Considering that even your Summon AI Assistant is a beautiful girl, wouldn’t it make sense that this thing could also appear in a ‘beautiful girl mode’ to match its partner’s preferences?”
“That… would be troublesome.”
“Oh? Troubled by the idea of having more beautiful girls around?”
“If I’m going to handle that, I need to increase my stamina firs—why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hehehe. As expected, humans.”
Kiharu chuckled, stretching lazily.
“Well, I like that kind of thing, y’know.”
“Huh?”
“Since the dawn of time, I’ve seen humans pair up, have children, and strive to create a world where their descendants can live happily. Those who lived with that purpose always lived their best lives.”
Kiharu hopped down onto my lap and gazed up at the sky from the bridge.
“Even in the face of overwhelming threats like that, the greatest motivation for survival isn’t power or ambition—it’s family.”
“…I don’t really get it.”
“Really? Then maybe you should shift your perspective.”
Kiharu reached out and tapped my fingers, one by one, with her paw.
“Try imagining yourself wearing eight rings—one on each finger.”
“…Are you including the goddess standing in front of me?”
“That depends. Will they all stay on your index finger, or will one of them move over to your ring finger? Even I can’t predict that.”
Kiharu let out a playful chuckle and leapt from my lap onto the control panel.
“In any world, if humanity falls into despair and gives up, it’s over. But I choose to bet on humanity’s hope.”
“Then, I guess I have no choice but to live up to that expectation.”
Ding.
A new alert appeared.
I had no idea what lay within that massive sphere in the Illinois’ engine room, nor did I fully understand the Tower looming in the sky.
But…
“The President will be here soon. We should go greet him—personally.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“My face is already known. No reason to be shy.”
Some might see me as an object of hatred and resentment.
But—
“If they don’t like it, they can awaken their own Summoning abilities and fight humanity’s crisis themselves.”
For now, I had work to do.
* * *
[Shortly after, the Illinois’ reception room.]
“It’s a pleasure to meet again, Master.”
President Luigi greeted me with an enthusiastic handshake.
“Your Korean has improved.”
“It wouldn’t do to rely on English alone. Of course…”
“Please speak however you feel comfortable. My situation is different from before.”
I gestured to Elaine and Drei, who stood behind me.
“Even if you speak in English, I’ll hear it in Korean.”
“I see. I’m not sure how, but that does make things easier.”
President Luigi cleared his throat and fixed his gaze on me.
“Welcome to America, Master.”
He spoke in Korean.
“The United States will provide you with full support. However, off the record, there’s something I must say.”
With a serious expression, he raised two fingers.
“Two years.”
“Two years…?”
“Live here for two years, but don’t grow too attached to this country.”
“That’s an odd thing for a U.S. President to say.”
“It is precisely because I am the President that I must say it. As the leader of a country responsible for upholding not just America’s order, but the world’s balance.”
President Luigi pointed to himself with those same two fingers.
“My term has two years left.”
“…”
“The America of today and the America two years from now may be completely different. So don’t invest too much of yourself here. Because in two years, this country might do to you what it once did to your homeland. At the very least, as long as I remain in the White House, I will make sure that doesn’t happen.”
His eyes were filled with absolute sincerity.
“And if the next President turns out to be a madman, someone as reckless as Ironblood, then don’t hesitate. Do whatever you see fit—whether that means returning to your homeland or finding another place to go.”
“Are you really saying I can do that?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be a disgrace if the land of the free began suppressing freedom?”
He had a point.
“But if that day ever comes, hate only those who seek to suppress your freedom—don’t resent everyone in this country. That is my first… and last request to you, as a friend.”
“…I get what you’re saying.”
No matter what the President said, the blood of a Korean ran through my veins.
“S-rank Tower list, please. Officially known ones, and the ones you’ve kept hidden.”
“Already?”
“Yes.”
A quest had appeared.
And for this, the more people I had, the better.
Fifth Summon – Unlockable upon clearing Six S-rank Towers.
